While Toronto doctor Anthony Galea couldn’t help Tiger Woods keep that whole adultery thing under wraps, he did help the pro golfer recover from knee surgery—although his methods are the subject of serious legal controversy. Galea is known for a rather unorthodox approach to sports medicine, using techniques that include something known as blood spinning, where a person’s own blood is placed in a centrifuge and reinserted in their body, apparently with greater healing properties. Of course, Galea is also known for (allegedly) using human growth hormone in his treatments—which is both way less cool and way more illegal than blood spinning—and pleaded guilty last summer to smuggling the stuff into the U.S. The plea kept him out of prison, but now he’s facing a court date in Toronto on a variety of related charges. Read the entire story [ESPN] »
The discerning mediavore’s take on the news of the day, from city hall to Power Ball
Like blonde hair, an obsession with football and a love for public weight loss campaigns, it appears the ability to piss off Janet Leiper, the city’s integrity commissioner, runs in the Ford family. A pair of reports has emerged from the commissioner’s office reprimanding both Mayor Rob and Councillor Doug for their sundry misbehaviour. First, there’s the mayor, who, as a councillor, accepted donations to his personal charity from lobbyists. And although council ordered Ford to repay the donors, all he has provided is letters from three of those lobbyists who don’t want to be reimbursed. Leiper says Ford’s stubbornness could constitute a violation of the Lobbyist Code of Conduct. Meanwhile, a complaint filed by activist Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler is keeping Doug Ford busy. After a run-in at city hall, Freudenthaler filed a complaint alleging the councillor threatened him. The councillor called the complaint—and the integrity commissioner’s call for an apology—“a bunch of horseshit” and said the activist is “a little prick.” During the exchange, Doug reportedly told Chaleff-Freudenthaler that “what goes around comes around,” a comment he has now gone to fantastically awkward lengths to explain. Doug’s comments have received more and flashier coverage than Rob’s alleged missteps, but the stories suggest a mutual failure from the brothers to recognize that their actions can have consequences. Or, to put it another way, that what goes around comes around. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
Quoted: Mike Del Grande on Playboy, public libraries and (imaginary) men in trench coats
When I think of libraries I think of wholesome….I don’t think of men in their trench coats in the library.
That’s silver-tongued budget chief Mike Del Grande on the Toronto Public Library’s Playboy magazines and books (and those nefarious men in trench coats who apparently read them). Aspiring Rob Ford spokesperson Toronto Sun muckraker Sue-Ann Levy did a bit of digging to uncover the sordid collection, which consists of microfilm at the Toronto Reference Library and a handful of books scattered throughout the system. “It certainly gives a whole new meaning to jacking up the literacy rate,” she writes in her column. To which we say, who ever talks about “jacking up” the literacy rate? Also, ew. [Toronto Sun]
Forget the budget—here we have a single story that involves Giorgio Mammoliti, massage parlours and heroin. Oh my! The Toronto Sun is reporting that the oh-so-colourful councillor claims opium dens are operating out of city-licensed massage parlours. Naturally, the councillor wants to revoke the parlours’ licenses, and ever the righteous crusader, Hot Wheels says he’s already shut down eight such clubs. Of course, a police inspector says the force is unaware of an opium den boom and that Mammoliti has not contacted them. Read the entire story [Toronto Sun] »
York University has fired a staff member that helped reveal possible fraud at the school, a move that probably won’t reflect well on the institution. The Toronto Star reports that the university “abruptly dismissed Ken Tooby,” who was one of the early whistleblowers on potential fraud dating back to 2009. Although both Tooby and a York spokesperson refused to comment on the situation, this can’t be good for the school’s reputation—news of whistleblowers being canned or otherwise harassed never helped anyone. With all the other negative news surrounding the university lately, it’s beginning to seem as if the school only makes headlines for something frightening, sad, horrible or otherwise controversial. In other words, if there’s bad news about a Canadian university, it’s probably about York. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
The Toronto Star’s Christopher Hume says the rumour mill is churning out reports of a potential waterfront casino, most likely at Ontario Place. Of course, the casino idea is nothing new. As Hume reminds readers, Giorgio “Boatloads of Sex Workers” Mammoliti most recently suggested it (that’s the same man who recommended turning industrial wastelands into a red light district, if you’ll recall). But there is reason to believe a casino might actually be in the cards. For one, it would appeal to Rob Ford’s desire for fast cash. (The potential to build a monorail to the site wouldn’t hurt, either.) Then again, Hume writes, a casino would be a far cry from the family destination Ontario Place is supposed to be. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
Hazel “Haters Gonna Hate” McCallion once voted in favour of a motion that could have cut the fees charged to developers—and netted her son $11 million in savings. The vote happened while McCallion was already scheming on behalf of her son, behaviour that led to an inquiry into her conduct. Although McCallion moved the motion herself and declared no conflict of interest, the incident somehow escaped the inquiry’s report. But while McCallion has avoided any legal ramifications, it’s been suggested that she basically got off on a technicality (the laws governing conflicts of interest are exceedingly narrow). Though, as we’ve said before, it’s likely none of this matters for McCallion anyway. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
Michael Bryant to write book about cyclist’s death so the world can finally hear his side
Former attorney general Michael Bryant is writing a memoir titled 28 Seconds about the contentious moments leading to the death of cyclist Darcy Sheppard. According to a press release, the aptly named book is an “unflinching description of one man’s descent into a kind of hell,” and will “chronicle the fateful aftermath of that late summer evening in August 2009, an evening when everything changed.” We thought Bryant wanted everybody to just forget about that fateful evening—which, really, everybody probably had—but apparently he actually wants everybody to remember it and relive it.
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Gawker gotchas: a roundup of Toronto’s most embarrassing moments according to the gossip giant
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Earlier this week, the Globe and Mail’s “Caption Writing Person” set off an online frenzy with a series of epic one-liners mocking Hollywood excess in the age of the Occupy Everywhere movement. But it wasn’t long before people began wondering—for no good reason, really—whether the Globe had been hacked. For its part, Gawker published a post saying the caption writer had gone “rogue” (an adjective we think remains best reserved for failed vice-presidential candidates). Of course, we’re just grateful that this Can Con moment was far less embarrassing than the usual appearances. Nonetheless, some Toronto Gawker headline highlights, after the jump.
Giorgio Mammoliti is upset over a proposal to raise the limit on the number of body rub parlours in the city, a plan he says was devised behind closed doors—and one he says could make Toronto “the biggest pimp in North America” (although we’re pretty sure Las Vegas has that title in the bag). Of course, how Mammoliti believes the availability of permits would somehow have rub-and-tugs popping up like mushrooms after a rainfall remains unclear. And, come on, we all know Mammoliti isn’t exactly averse to the sex trade. Read the entire story [Toronto Sun] »
Earlier this month, the cash-for-gold skirmish between Jack Berkovits and Harold “the Jewellery Buyer” Gerstel went international, with a lengthy feature in the New Yorker on the ongoing feud. This week, hostilities were renewed once again with Berkovits taking legal action against the Jewellery Buyer, alleging that Gerstel has been encroaching on his territory and snatching up his customers—sometimes literally. The Toronto Star reports that court documents claim employees of Gerstel grabbed customers to drag them away from Berkovits’ business. Of course, this is just the latest chapter in the long, sordid story of the pair of sworn enemies. For our part, we can’t help but think Russell Oliver, he of spandex suits and cowboy hats, is somehow ultimately to blame—you know, for cheapening the cash-for-gold profession and all. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
Five things we learned from the New Yorker’s look at Toronto’s cash-for-gold showdown
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Over the past year, the heated cash-for-gold feud between Harold Gerstel (a former protege of Cashman Russell Oliver) and Jack Berkovits has been a Toronto media sensation (see Rob Hough’s trip down the rabbit hole from our December issue). Turns out the Canadian press aren’t the only ones baffled by the death threats, public arguments and underhanded advertising that have turned the pair’s neighbouring jewellery stores, at Bathurst and Glencairn, into a war zone (Gerstel’s shop was mysteriously fire-bombed last December). In the current issue of the New Yorker, Calvin Trillin (he of the great poutine debate) has a feature story on the tumult. And while we’re always chuffed when our southern neighbours take an interest in our humble affairs, things often come out just a little bit funny. Here, five things we learned from the New Yorker about Toronto’s cash-for-gold brouhaha.
Professional grifter Garth Drabinsky refuses to just give up and go to jail already. The Toronto Star is reporting that Drabinsky, who was convicted of fraud last month, will ask the Supreme Court to appeal his convictions. He’s also hoping to be granted bail while the Supreme Court mulls everything over. Drabinsky’s partner in crime, Myron Gottlieb, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to have filed a similar bail application. We’ve been wary of Drabinsky for a while now—a feeling that was only exacerbated when we learned his swindling ways may have extended to ripping off musicians. And, of course, the longer the legal shenanigans drag on, the longer we’ll have to wait for that Edward Greenspan tell-all book. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
Yesterday, the Toronto Star reported that the official in charge of disciplining troublesome Ontario teachers was moonlighting as a soft-core teenage porn author (he has since resigned). Sun News, finding itself doing commentary on a story it probably would have loved to break, decided to go all out. Host Jacqui Delaney began with an irresistible cold open: “Strip poker and a bloody spanking. Orgasms, sexual assault, drugs and blackmail. No, it is not Dalton McGuinty’s failed new sex ed plan.” (She also quoted directly from the Star without mentioning the paper’s name.) Michael Coren, meanwhile, noted that the book in question will “probably win a Governor General’s prize, it’s so badly written,” before wondering out loud if the publisher had received any public funding (the publisher didn’t return our request for a comment). Most amazing of all was Coren’s final comment: “This teacher is a member of the union [that has] been telling us throughout the Ontario election, ‘Don’t vote for the Tories.’ I think you must take that under consideration.” Delaney responded: “Very good point. Cherry on top.” We’re not so sure we’d agree. Watch the entire segment [Sun News] »
Sue-Ann Levy calls Hurricane Hazel McCallion a dictator, yogurt
Christopher Hume and Sue-Ann Levy aren’t usually on the same side of municipal issues—but they are united in their criticism of Hazel McCallion. Both columnists do a number on the long-serving Mississauga mayor in their respective spaces, taking McCallion to task in the wake of a judge’s 386-page report on her misconduct, released earlier this week. Hume says McCallion “squelched a generation of leadership,” while Levy suggest McCallion ruled like a dictator and compares her to, um, yogurt (both politicians and dairy products have an expiration date, you see). At the core of their respective criticisms isn’t just the way she’s run Mississauga—although that’s certainly a large part of it—but how she reacted to Monday’s news: with a rhetorical shrug and a non-apology. Of course, that kind of arrogance might be a prerequisite to serving as mayor for three decades.
• Hazel the dictator should step down [Toronto Sun]
• Hume: Until McCallion goes, Mississauga won’t grow up [Toronto Star]
(Images: Hazel McCallion, Rocco Rossi; fist, Danny PiG; yogurt, theimpulsivebuy)
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